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← Osteosarcoma and Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma of Bone

FOR PATIENTS · SOURCE READING

Surgery

Source: Osteosarcoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.

Source updated: February 25, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.

Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.

Context: Treatment Option Overview / The following types of treatment are used:

Surgery to remove the entire tumor will be done when possible. Chemotherapy may be given before surgery to make the tumor smaller. This is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is given so less bone tissue needs to be removed and there are fewer problems after surgery.

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The following types of surgery may be done:

Wide local excision removes the cancer and some healthy tissue around it.

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Limb-sparing surgery removes a tumor in an arm or leg without amputation. Limb-sparing surgery is often an option for children with osteosarcoma in an arm or leg. The tumor is removed by wide local excision. The removed tissue and bone may be replaced with a graft using tissue and bone taken from another part of the body, or with an implant such as artificial bone. If a fracture is found at the time of diagnosis or during chemotherapy before surgery, limb-sparing surgery may still be possible in some cases. If the surgeon is not able to remove all of the tumor and enough healthy tissue around it, an amputation may be done.

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Amputation removes part or all of an arm or leg. This may be done when it is not possible to remove all of the tumor in limb-sparing surgery. If prosthesis is part of the plan, fitting and training will take place with a prosthetist (a specialist in artificial limbs) over several weeks to months.

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Rotationplasty removes the tumor and the knee joint. The part of the leg that remains below the knee is then attached to the part of the leg that remains above the knee, with the foot facing backward and the ankle acting as a knee. A prosthesis may then be attached to the foot.

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Studies have shown that survival is the same whether the first surgery done is a limb-sparing surgery or an amputation.

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After the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, chemotherapy is given to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery to lower the risk that the cancer will come back is called adjuvant therapy.

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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice